Welcome to Staff Development!

Special Grant Committee Members & FAQs

Special Grant Committee

Tim Frenzel, Continuing Education
Christopher Imm, Mathematics
Kimberly Kuhns, ASL English Interpreter Prep
Mark Swails, Academic Support
Jonathan Miller, Architecture
Dan Mueller, Counseling
Nathan Jones, English
Scott Crompton, Industrial Technology Division
Luzma Alvarez, Foreign Language
Dawn Gale, Humanities

Farrell Hoy Jenab, Faculty Development (Chair)
Rachel Haynes, Staff Dev./HR, Committee Support (non-voting)
Elaine Sinn, Faculty Development Coordinator, Committee Support (non-voting)

 

Frequently Asked Questions

How will I know if I should apply for a Special Grant?
You should apply if you need assistance attending or presenting at a conference, or if you plan to complete specialized training that results in certification or CEUs.

Please note: Special Grants are meant to assist after department funds have been applied. Department funds must be the first source for employee travel and professional development. Special Grants are merely a supplement to what department training funds cannot cover. We do this to ensure we can assist as many people as possible all across campus.

 

When should I submit my application?
Employees are strongly encouraged to leave a buffer of about 3 weeks between the date of the committee meeting where their application will be considered and the first date of the event. This allows enough time to finalize plans, make payments, or secure funding elsewhere in the event your application is denied. Deadlines for submissions are one week before committee meetings.

  • Example: Your conference starts on May 17th. There are committee meetings on May 7th and April 9th. We would therefore recommend you submit your application for the April 9th meeting (the deadline to submit for that meeting is April 2nd).

The deadlines for submitting a Special Grant application are:

8.22.23 Tuesday

9.19.23 Tuesday

10.17.23 Tuesday

11.6.23 Monday

12.5.23 Tuesday

1.16.24 Tuesday

2.13.24 Tuesday

3.5.24 Tuesday

4.2.24 Tuesday

4.30.24 Tuesday

 

Can Adjunct Faculty apply for Special Grants?
Short answer: Yes! Long answer: Adjunct faculty members must be on-contract the semester during which they apply for Special Grant funds.

 

What can the Special Grant money be used for? What can it NOT be used for?
Special Grant funds may go toward:

  • Registration
  • Per diems
  • Gas mileage
  • Airfare
  • Hotels
  • Airport parking
  • Uber/Lyft/taxi to and from the airport (both in KC and in destination)

Special Grant Funds may NOT go toward:

  • Food costs for same-day travel (meaning you can drive to and from the conference within a 24-hour period)

 

When should I make my travel arrangements?
We encourage all applicants to wait until their application is approved before spending money or finalizing travel plans. (And don’t forget, you must submit a Travel Request through Concur before arrangements can be made and paid for.) This is why we suggest the buffer period of at least 3 weeks between the day the committee considers your application and the first day of the event.

 

Do I have to pay for everything up front before submitting my application?
Nope, you can document the likely cost for the expense.

For example, with documenting Airfare: If you are browsing an airline’s website and add a flight “to your cart” – you can simply attach a screenshot of the cart without actually completing the payment portion.

 

Who is responsible for approving Special Grants?
A committee of faculty and staff members, representing the different areas on campus, meets once a month to discuss applications and determine whether they should be approved, denied, or tabled until the next meeting. The chair of this committee is Farrell Hoy Jenab, Director of Faculty Development, and the secretary is the Staff Development Admin Assistant.

 

Where do the Special Grant funds come from?
Staff Development budgets a certain amount of money each year to support Special Grants. When that money has been used, Faculty Development may opt to continue supporting with their own funds, or they may choose to stop Special Grants for the remainder of the fiscal year.

 

Can I apply for a conference/training over the summer?
The Special Grants Committee only meets August through May, since many of the committee members are faculty. This means no grants are awarded during the months of June and July. We encourage you to apply for any conferences or trainings taking place over the summer at our last meeting in May (deadline for submissions to be considered next May is April 30th, 2024).

 

What all is involved in applying for a Special Grant?
The first two pages of the application details the steps and required documentation for accurately completing a request for Special Grant funds. Applicants are required to sign their acknowledgement of the requirements and that their application may not be considered or approved if anything is missing or done incorrectly.

For help getting comfortable with the Special Grant application process, applicants can read through the entire FAQ and/or watch the 10-minute video to guide them through the process (coming out soon). Any questions not answered by those resources can be directed to the Staff Development admin assistant.

 

Will the Special Grant Committee reimburse me if I pay for my conference/training out of pocket before applying?
Reimbursements are not guaranteed.

 

Does the Special Grant cover membership fees in addition to registration and travel costs?
Yes, Special Grant funds can be used for membership fees. Many conferences roll membership costs into their conference attendance fees.

 

I’ve read the instructions on the application, and I still need help. Who should I contact?
Email Staff Development at staffdev.dept@jccc.edu or call ext. 7654.